


Our Troubles Will Be Miles Away

by TantalumCobalt



Series: It's a Twin Thing [4]
Category: Mission: Impossible (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Christmas Party, Gen, Natasha is devious, Will and Clint are twins, Will is long-suffering, unlikely friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-04
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-09-28 05:55:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10075229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TantalumCobalt/pseuds/TantalumCobalt
Summary: "I need another drink," Will mutters to no one in particular. Ethan nods in commiseration and Will almost sighs because it figures that this is what he and Ethan frickin' Hunt end up bonding over.Jesus Christ.This was probably Natasha's plan all along.--The IMF Christmas party starts as expected. It doesn't end that way.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for the eons between updates in this series (and all my others)!! The last six months have been really hectic and I haven't had as much time to write as I thought I would. I promised this fic in time for Christmas but then I went away for three weeks and then writer's block hit so I didn't get a chance to finish it until now. I'm planning to change that though so keep on the look out for more fics in the next two weeks.
> 
> Editing was rushed so please point out any mistakes you find.

_" **Am I supposed to look like your date-date? Or your friend-date?**_

Will frowns at his phone, the text staring innocently back at him. **What?**  He types back eventually. He thinks maybe Natasha meant to text Clint instead, probably for some undercover thing they're planning. That speculation is shattered a moment later when her reply comes through.

_**To the Christmas party. I thought I'd wear that backless blue dress - you know, the one from New Orleans? But if I'm supposed to be your friend not your girlfriend I should wear the purple one instead.**_

The Christmas party. Of course. Will wants to smack himself for forgetting that he asked Nat to be his date. This is why they gave him a secretary with the promotion to Chief Analyst, he thinks, because there's too much Important Stuff buzzing around in his mind to remember little details like the IMF Christmas party. Christina, the aforementioned secretary, had mentioned something about a friend of hers in Accounting when they'd gone over his schedule for the week, including the Christmas party tomorrow night. Not only will having Natasha around make the night somewhat more interesting (read: likely to end in catastrophe), it will also be an excellent way to ward off his devious secretary's matchmaking.

**Blue** _,_ he replies. **And that necklace I bought you in Leipzig.**

_**How about the engagement ring from London?**_ __

Will laughs, imagining Christina's face if he were to show up with someone who was supposedly his fiancée. **Tempting. Maybe next time.**

_**Clint's right, you're no fun ;)**_

\--

Most of the IMF desk-jockeys leave work at lunchtime on the 19th, disappearing to various areas of the city to do last minute shopping or just relaxing before the Christmas party starts at six. Will is not one of those people. He meets up with Natasha for lunch and gives her a key to his apartment (she claims hers went missing in the Bosnian jungle, but he's pretty sure she just forgot it), then he returns to the office to finish cataloguing the data for all current ongoing missions. HQ will be almost empty over the holiday period and he knows that if these don't get done now, they're unlikely to get done at all. 

It's after four by the time he's finally finished. His phone rings as he's sliding an assortment of paperwork into his briefcase and he answers with a grin, not bothering to check the caller ID because there's only one person who would be calling him at this time on this day.

"Hey, nice timing."

" _I've been told it's a talent of mine."_

Okay, make that two people who would be calling him. Will bites back a groan. "Please tell me you're still in New York."

" _I'm still in New York."_  His brother parrots, but the amusement glittering in his voice betrays him.

"You're downstairs aren't you?"

" _Across the street,"_  Clint agrees. " _Wanna give me a lift back to yours?"_

"If I say no, will you get on the next plane to JFK?"

_"Nope."_

Well it was worth a short. "Give me five minutes."

\--

Clint, by some miracle, agrees to stay home and cat-sit instead of crashing the party. It's not until he and Nat are getting out of the car at the party that Will finds out the miracle is actually an invisible earbud and a miniature button cam hidden in the hairpin which is keeping the Russian's red curls on top of her head. The earpiece disappears into a potted plant, the camera gets misplaced beneath the back wheel of a silver Mercedes.

"You know he's going to have Tony hack into the security cameras now, don't you?" Natasha, at least, finds the idea of hacking a private IMF function with all manner of Important People in attendance to be amusing.

"He can try," Will says because he knows Benji set up security for this evening and Benji may not be a lot of things but he _is_  a tech genius so it's sure to be air tight. Tony Stark is beyond good, but he'd put money on Benji having the upper hand in this case. (As it turns out, Natasha thinks putting his money where his mouth is is an excellent idea and Will goes home at the end of the night with an extra fifty dollars lining his pocket.)

Christina spots them almost immediately, moving smoothly through the sea of suits and gowns to reach them. "Will!" She exclaims, a wide smile on her face. "I didn't know you were bringing a date."

"This is Natasha," he introduces. "Nat, this is my assistant, Christina."

The redhead offers a small, genuine smile to the slightly taller brunette woman. "It's a pleasure to meet the person who's been keeping William in line when I'm not around."

Christina grins. "Ooh I just know I'm gonna like you."

It occurs to Will that those two meeting was probably a mistake. 

(It's definitely a mistake. Natasha and Christina exchange regular emails and text messages regarding the care and control of William Brandt, chief analyst and semi-functioning adult who can make world leaders cower in the face of his intelligence but can't seem to remember he needs at least six hours of sleep a night and that coffee is not a valid substitute for food.)

\--

Natasha meeting Ethan though... that is definitely not a mistake. That is magic, Pure, unadulterated, beautiful _magic_. Well. He _expects_ it to be magic.

(And he should know what to expect because that's basically his job description... right?)

They're on the dance floor, Natasha using the twists and turns as an excuse to search for her prey, when Ethan Hunt makes his grand, fashionably late entrance. Benji and Jane aren't far behind him, together-but-not-together as they giggle over something behind their fearless leader's back. It's adorable really. Truly adorable, that they're not only teammates but friends _._  Best friends.

(Will is not jealous. Definitely not. He doesn't need friends. He has Clint and Natasha. Lord knows those two are enough.)

Will knows the moment Natasha sees them because she tilts her head back enough to grin impishly. "Natasha, no," he chides automatically.

"Shall we give them a show, darling?" she practically purrs.

"Oh my god, _no_ ," Will exclaims. "These people are my co-workers. My _boss_  is here. You can't just go around spilling blood to prove how badass you are."

She rolls her eyes, pinching his side through the expensive material of his suit. "Don't be obtuse. Not _that_  kind of show." Her eyes are glittering the same way they do before a deep cover op though. "And I don't need to spill blood to prove I'm badass, I just have to exist."

He doesn't have time to respond before she's stepping back and tugging his hand to lead him towards the bar. Where Ethan, Benji and Jane have ended up. Completely unsuspecting of the legal beauty headed their way.

"Hi," the redhead says, leaning in towards Ethan Hunt. "You wouldn't happen to be Ethan Hunt would you? We've got _lots_  to talk about. But first; why don't you introduce me to your friends?"

Will is thankful they're at the bar because he definitely needs a strong drink.

_There is no way this ends well..._

\--

It doesn't end well. 

Benji and Natasha _get along_. Which is a thousand times worse than the fact that Natasha and Ethan silently declare war with their eyes over a handshake. War can Will can deal with. He has experience with war; that's what interdepartmental bureaucracy is. What Will can't deal with is the combined sarcasm of two of the most strong-willed, intelligent, brilliantly loyal, _nerdy_ people he's ever met. Even Jane looks a little overwhelmed, shifting subtly closer to Ethan.

_For what? Protection? Surely she's realised that Ethan will be Natasha's first target if anything happens. And IMF's Golden Boy or not, not even he could compete with the Black Widow._

(Especially since the Avengers are likely to burst through the roof in support of their unofficial second-in-command if even a hint of a _situation_  crops up.)

Natasha and Benji are deep in discussion about... something to do with computers. Or maybe it's video games? Could even be world domination for all Will knows; there was definitely mention of a nuclear base at some point, possibly in connection to the mention of the Federal Reserve's cash storage facility. Which may or may not have had anything to do with the recommendation for sights to see in Berlin. He and Ethan had tried prying them away from each other for even a few seconds, but they'd been treated to a warning smile and irritated glare respectively. Eventually, they'd had no choice but to give it up as a lost cause.

"I need another drink," Will mutters to no one in particular. Ethan nods in commiseration and Will almost sighs because it figures that _this_  is what he and Ethan frickin' Hunt end up bonding over.

Jesus Christ.

This was probably Natasha's plan all along.

"I didn't know you had a girlfriend," Ethan says casually a minute later. "How long have you and Natasha been together?"

This time Will doesn't hold back his sigh because  _oh my god now we're making small talk_.

"A while. It's complicated."

What in his life isn't these days?

\-- 

"This has been fun," Natasha declares once they get home, dropping onto the end of the couch and placing her feet in Clint's lap. "We should do it again next year."

Clint, rubbing his partner's feet with one hand and petting Will's cat with the other, grins brightly. In the apartment's tiny kitchen, Tony Stark is introducing Benji to JARVIS. Steve Rogers is asking Ethan about his workout routine - and making plans to go rock climbing. Bruce Banner is helping Jane make tea and coffee for everyone.

Will stands beside his coffee table and regrets his life choices. Because this? This blooming friendship? It's definitely going to come back to bite him in the arse some day.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Comments and kudos are very much appreciated, they make me want to write more :)
> 
> If you've requested fic or left prompts and I haven't filled them, or even if you have a new one, please hassle me. You can do it through the comments here or on tumblr or lj (my username is tantalumcobalt on both of those as well) or even wattpad if that's your thing. I promise they will get written, hopefully soon, but reminders never hurt :)


End file.
